


thorns

by skittykitty



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Gen, Professor Tom Riddle, Screenplay/Script Format, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23511148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittykitty/pseuds/skittykitty
Summary: You asked me: What do I think of life?I said "Baby, not much, I wanna die"Harry Potter is damaged after his time in an orphanage, and Tom Riddle is here to help.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Tom Riddle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52
Collections: Corona Challenge





	thorns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DemonufSans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonufSans/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [DemonufSans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonufSans/pseuds/DemonufSans) in the [CoronaChallenge](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/CoronaChallenge) collection. 



> The lyrics in the description are from Dead Inside by Younger Hunger. 
> 
> **Prompt:**
> 
> Au where Tom Riddle is a professor at Hogwarts like he always wanted, Albus and him go to give harry potter his letter at an orphanage and Tom gets to see what he was like as a kid. Basically, he gets a taste of his own medicine and when Albus and Tom are back in the headmaster's office he has to ask his professor a question.
> 
> "Professor?" 
> 
> "Yes, my boy?"
> 
> "I really was a little shit wasn't I?" 
> 
> "Certainly" 
> 
> And then Tom becomes Harry's personal therapist.

When he had first showed up at Hogwarts for the first time in years, Tom had been nearing his breaking point.

Life had been one punch in the face after another, and now, asking for his dream job, he was ready to jump off the edge of sanity.

_(In a different scenario, Dumbledore would see the desperation in his eyes and think_ “No, this insanity cannot be fixed”, _but now he reconsidered, seeing the exhaustion bearing down on those shoulders.)_

With a _“yes, you will be considered.”_ and a small smile, Tom had hope again.

* * *

Decades later, Tom was a revered teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He adored teaching students and seeing them learn and grow.

But, now, Albus brought him with him to retrieve a child.

Maybe it was on purpose to bring back old memories, but an orphan from the war lived in an orphanage. Tom was brought to make sure Albus did not make a mistake like he had with Tom so many decades ago.

The orphanage may have much more money than his did, and maybe even more attentive staff, but it seemed just the same.

The matron whispered about rumors of the child not caring about anyone besides himself. Albus had learned his lesson _(it seemed you could teach an old dog new tricks after all)_ and didn’t trust a word the matron said.

When they met Harry Potter, it was with little doubt as to his substandard childhood.

* * *

Later, long after showing Harry the wonders of magic and seeing his eyes stay dull and dark even as he was shown Transfigurations beyond his imagination, Albus and Tom had a conversation.

Maybe he truly _didn’t care_ like the matron had said.

Tom refused to believe that.

"Professor?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"I really was a little shit, wasn't I?"

"Certainly.”

* * *

Later, right before the school year began, Tom Riddle remembered the mystery of the apathetic Harry Potter.

It seemed as if he lived from day to day, with nothing connecting him to the world. Like one day he’d just be _gone,_ and no one would remember the individual who had taken up that spot in class.

Tom refused to let a child, _a magical child, even,_ leave Hogwarts without caring about magic.

_[September 4, 1991. Tuesday.]_

TR: Do you know why you are here, Harry?

HP: [Silence.]

HP: You think I’m “damaged” from my time in the orphanage and want to fix me.

TR: Are you not?

HP: [Silence.] _{Notes: he’s glaring at me, maybe doesn’t like to think of the past, next week focus on the parents Albus left him with.}_

[For the rest of the half hour, Harry refused to speak.]

* * *

_[September 10, 1991. Tuesday.]_

TR: How are your classes?

HP: Transfiguration is fine… Charms is… also fine.

TR: What of Potions? And Herbology? 

HP: They’re fine, too.

HP: And before you ask, DADA is fine too.

TR: That’s… fine, anything more to add?

HP: No.

[They continued to have a conversation about Harry’s classes, with Tom carrying the conversation.]

_{Notes: Forgot to bring up his past, but happy with him talking today.}_

* * *

_[October 29, 1991. Tuesday.]_

HP: Everyone seems really excited for Halloween. It’s odd. Back at the orphanage, everyone only cared for the free food, and the kids for dressing up. _{Notes: This is the first time he’s brought up his past on his own.}_

TR: How is Hogwarts different from your orphanage? Both are filled with children, but it seems in both worlds you are alone.

_{Notes: I was trying to push him to make friends.}_

HP: Hm, I guess Hogwarts isn’t _really_ a fresh start if I look at it through that lens, Professor.

TR: Just call me Tom during our half-hour together, Harry.

_{Notes: Harry seemed to not pay as close attention to what he was saying after this. Maybe he was thinking deeper on it?}_

* * *

_[November 5, 1991. Tuesday.]_

TR: How was Halloween? I saw you at the Feast, but you didn’t eat much.

HP: I wasn’t feeling very hungry.

TR: Is it because of the anniversary?

HP: What anniversary?

_{Notes: He did not know about the date of his parents death. Perhaps he does not know Albus was the one to give him to the persons who abandoned him.}_

* * *

_[November 12, 1991. Tuesday.]_

TR: Harry, why don’t you have any friends yet?

HP: It doesn’t matter, Tom. I don’t need friends.

_{Notes: He’s not meeting my eyes anymore.}_

* * *

_[December 3, 1991. Tuesday.]_

TR: Will you be going back to the orphanage for the break?

HP: Maybe. I’m not sure.

_{Notes: I need to push him to react emotionally.}_

* * *

_[December 17, 1991. Tuesday.]_

TR: So, you will be returning to the orphanage?

HP: Yes, I will.

TR: How do you know they will let you return? Do you miss those Muggles, Harry? 

[His voice grew angrier as he continued.]

TR: They aren’t worth any of your thoughts! If you really wanted to be a wizard, you’d stay here!

[HP stays silent.]

* * *

_[Harry went to the orphanage for winter break.]_

* * *

_[January 7, 1992. Tuesday.]_

_[HP didn’t show up today.]_

* * *

_[January 14, 1992. Tuesday.]_

_[HP is in classes, has he forgotten to come for two weeks now?]_

* * *

_[January 21, 1992. Tuesday.]_

HP: Fine, I’m here, _what do you want?_

TR: You haven’t showed up for these sessions, is something going on?

HP: Nothing.

* * *

_[June 16, 1992. Tuesday.]_

TR: It’s the final time we’ll meet for this school year, do you think you’ve changed much during these times?

HP: Not particularly, no.

_{Notes: Next year I will push him. I swear.}_

* * *

_[June 15, 1993. Tuesday.]_

HP: I’m going into my third year, Tom. So far, all anyone knows me for is that I have a weekly appointment with you. I’m not going to come back here anymore.

TR: Alright, Harry. It’s your decision.

_{Notes: I hope he doesn’t pull anything rash.}_

* * *

Tom Marvolo Riddle was the first person to show concern over his well-being.

He would likely be the last as well.

Once his third year began, Harry began to avoid his former counselor, in and out of class. Once his only noticeable trait was erased, Harry was forgotten by the world once again.

Harry buried himself under pleas of “I don’t care” and “it doesn’t matter”, but soon couldn’t handle it anymore.

* * *

_{Notes: Harry has been avoiding me, but today he didn’t show up for his classes.}_

* * *

_{Notes: Harry will likely be forced to return to our appointments if he’s done what I think he’s done.}_

* * *

_What was the point of going on?_

Magic didn’t make him a new family, Magic didn’t make him _belong._

Magic was a lie.

Pointing his wand against his throat, Harry murmured the Cutting Curse.

Blood splattered onto Hogwarts’s walls.

* * *

_[February 1, 1994. Tuesday.]_

TR: Harry, why did you try to kill yourself?

HP: I wasn’t trying, Tom, I was _doing._

HP: You don’t care anyways, no one does.

TR: Is this because you don’t have friends?

HP: Among many other factors, yes.

* * *

_[February 22, 1994. Tuesday.]_

HP: Fine. I’ll tell you.

[A pause.]

HP: When I went to these appointments the only thing people cared about were, _oh, are you getting one on one time with Professor Riddle? Are you sure there’s nothing else going on?_

TR: They thought this was a sexual relationship?

HP: Yes.

HP: So, I stopped coming. And then people stopped talking to me, even if it was only questioning… _this…_ it was still interaction.

HP: And so, I spiraled. No one was there for me. Death was the only way out.

TR: Are you better now?

HP: No.

TR: That’s alright, Harry.


End file.
